Control unit for stock feed



a. w 2 E Mm m E NWH S SWA u Mm AE MGKR K ACT KHmI m E RYDL EBEM D RTEwFw RO C N 4 5 9 1 9 v O N Filed March 12, 1949.

5 Sheets-Sheet. l

INVENTOR. M

Nov. 9, 1954 FREDERICK K. MAUSSNEST 2,693,955

NOW BY CHANGE OF NAME FREDERICK K;MAUST CONTROL UNIT FOR STOCK FEEDFiled March 12, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FREDERICK K. MAUSSNEST Nov. 9,1954 2,693,955-

Now BY CHANGE OF NAME FREDERICK K. MAUST CONTROL um'r FOR STOCK FEED 5Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 12. 1949 Nov. 9, 1954 FREDERICK K. MAUSSNEST2,

NOW BY CHANGE OF NAME FREDERICK K. MAUST CONTROL UNIT FOR STOCK FEEDFiled March 12, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 a; 92 10 if 14,

. 12 i l w 9 12;

- LL 4/1 1/ s n HI 4 Nov. 9, 1954 FREDERICK K. MAUSSNEST 2,693,955

NOW BY CHANGE OF NAME FREDERICK K. MAUST CONTROL UNIT FOR STOCK FEEDFiled March 12, 1949 Fig 16 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

United States Patent CONTROL UNIT FOR STOCK FEED Frederick K. Maussnest,now by change of name Frederick K. Maust, Queens Village, N. Y.

Application March 12, 1949, Serial No. 81,140

24 Claims. (Cl. 2712.4)

This invention relates to intermittent stock feeding devices, and moreparticularly to automatic roll feeds for metal-working machines, such aspunch presses and analogous equipment.

The general object of the present invention is to improve and simplifythe construction and operation of the several parts of roll feeds, suchas: automatic roll-lifting mechanism for separating the feed rollsduring each operating cycle to permit commonly used pilot-pinsassociated with the dies to accurately locate the stock prior to eachworking operation; strip-starting mechanism to avoid cutting offractional blanks; automatic brake-operating mechanism to preventovertravel of the intermittently rotating feed rolls; flying adjustmentmechanism for regulating the feeding length or feed stroke while theequipment is in operation to compensate for the varying inertia effectsof the mass of the feed rolls and other intermittently moving parts atdifferent operating speeds or feeding lengths. It is obviously desirableto obtain these interrelated functions of a roll feed by simple andinexpensive means which are adapted to be conveniently and quicklyadjusted by the average die-setter or even press-operator in contrast tothe rather complicated and expensive devices heretofore employed.

The present invention provides improvements and simplifications in theconstruction and operation of the several parts of roll feed mechanismsalluded to, with respect to their individual functions and theirrelations one to another, so that any combination of these desirablefeatures may be provided at minimum expense.

To attain these ends, it is one object of my invention to provide novelautomatic roll-lifting mechanism, novel automatic brake-operatingmechanism, novel strip-starting mechanism and to teach the principle ofproviding a common control unit for integrating the interrelated motionsof these mechanisms.

Another object is to incorporate in said common control unit in additionintermediate gearing for increasing the feeding range.

A still other object is the provision of a novel precision flyingadjustment mechanism which may also be incorporated in said control unitand comprises adjusting and transmitting means adapted to modify themagnitude of the angular feeding impulses to the stock feeding devicewhile the latter is in operation.

These and other specific objects and advantages will become apparentduring the course of the following description of the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

Fig. l is a front elevation of a roll feed embodying one form of thecontrol unit.

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly broken away, of the roll feed shown inFig. 1 to a somewhat smaller scale.

Fig. 3 shows diagrammatically the brake-operating mechanism with thepunch press slide substantially in top dead center or 0 degree position.

Fig. 4 shows diagrammatically the automatic stripstarting mechanism withthe press slide also in 0 degree position.

Fig. 5 illustrates diagrammatically the automatic rolllifting mechanismwith the press slide also in 0 degree position.

Fig. 6 shows diagrammatically the friction drive for the feed rolls whenthe press slide is in 0 degree position.

Fig. 7 depicts diagrarnatically the position of the driving rocker-armfor actuating the control unit when the press slide is in 0 degreeposition.

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Fig. 8 is a section to a smaller scale along line 88 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 9 shows the cam control for the automatic brake along line 99 inFig. 8.

Fig. 10 illustrates the automatic strip-starting mechanism along line10-10 in Fig. 8.

Fig. 11 shows the automatic roll-lifting mechanism along line 1111 inFig. 8.

Fig. 12 is a front elevation of a similar roll feed as shown in Fig. 1,however, with gear-segment drive combined with the control unit forobtaining increased feeding lengths.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary section along line 13-13 in (Fig.1 12 showingthe drive of the roll feed in greater etai Fig. 14 is a fragmentary planview of the structure shown in Figs. 12 and 13.

Fig. 15 is a somewhat diagrammatic perspective view of the control unitemployed in Figs. 12, 13, -14.

Fig. 16 shows the application of a double roll feed, of the type shownin Fig. l, to a straight-sided punch press.

Fig. 17 is a sectional view of the angularly adjustable eccentric foractuating the control unit as seen in the direction of arrows 1717 inFig. 18.

Fig. 18 is a sectional view along line 1818 in Fig. 17.

Fig. 19 is a reference circle to assist in describing the functions ofthe several mechanisms in relation to the position of the crankshaft ofa press.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustrating the invention,like reference characters will be employed to designate like partsthroughout, Figs. 1, 2, 8, 9, 10, and 1.1 illustrate the embodiment of arelatively simple control unit in an automatic roll feed adapted tostepwise advance the stock or work material into a machine from left toright as viewed in Fig. 1.

Precision flying adjustment mechanism Certain feed adjusting deviceshave been proposed in the past for the fine adjustment of the feedinglength while the machine is in operation, such as a manual screwadjustment of the driving rocker-arm, or the eccentric displacement of adriving gear, but these solutions have certain serious shortcomings inas much as the first-mentioned method necessitates handling a rapidlyoscillating adjusting member, while the second one is only adapted to agear drive and has the additional disadvantage of disturbing the correctmesh of the driving gears. My flying adjustment overcomes theseshortcommgs.

Reference character lindicates part of a bolster-plate or press-bed towhich the roll feed is attached in any suitable manner such as by meansof bolts 2. As will be described later in greater detail, the feed rollsusually receive intermittent driving impulses from a rotating driveshaft, at the end of which a crank-disc is mounted which is adjustablefor obtaining the desired feeding length approximately by varying thethrow of a connecting rod. At its lower end, said connecting rod may bepivotally attached by means of an intermediate link 3 to a rocker-arm oroscillatable lever 4, whose hub 5 is freely rotatable on an eccentricbushing 6 supported by, and angularly displaceable on, lower feed rollshaft 7. Flange 9 of bushing 6 has a plurality of indexing perforations8 and abuts housing 10 of the roll feed. A removable indexing pin 11extends through one of the perforations or holes 8 into a suitable bore12 in housing 10 for maintaining eccentric bushing 6 in any desiredangular position. After pulling indexing pin 11 out, the eccentricbushing may be turned and angularly displaced, while the roll feed is inoperation, by means of handle 13, threaded into or otherwise fastened toflange 9. The periphery of flange 9 may be provided for convenience withgraduations as shown at 18, Fig. 2.

When the adjustment has been completed, eccentric bushing 6 may belocked again in its new position by bringing the nearest perforation 8into registry with bore 12 and inserting pin 11. A plurality of boresmay be provided in housing 10 and spaced at fractional distances of thehole-spacing in flange 9 for obtaining increment adjustments ofeccentric bushing 6 as small as desired. For example, a second bore 14is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 spaced from bore 12 at one-half thehole-spacing in flange 9, thus permitting adjusting increments equal toone-half of hole-spacings 8.

Adjacent to hub of rocker-arm 4, the driver 16 of a ratchet device inthe form of a one-way clutch or friction drive of conventional design issecured to shaft 7, while its outside housing 17 is rotatably supportedon shaft 7. As viewed in Fig. 1, friction drive 15 is adapted to rotateshaft 7 in clockwise direction. Novel self-aligning transmitting meansoperatively connect rocker-arm 4 with friction drive 15 as best seen inFigs. 1 and 2. A pin 19 is journaled in rocker 4 and provided at one endwith a substantially square or rectagular head or connector element 20which is slidably guided in a matching, radially extending, apertureZlof outside housing 17 of the friction drive. Threaded nut 22 serves tolocate pin 19. Thus rocker-arm 4 is capable of transferring itsoscillating motion to friction drive 15. However, the effective lengthof rocker-arm 4 may be increased or decreased and the angular feedingimpulses to the friction drive 15 varied accordingly, by turningeccentric bushing 6 in counterclockwise or clockwise direction,respectively, from the median or normal position shown in Fig. 1. Thismedian position allows substantially equal adjustments for lengtheningor shortening the effective length of rocker-arm 4.

If a double roll feed is used, ratchet-housing 17 may be provided with asecondary driving-arm 24 to act as the driver for the second roll feedunit as indicated in dash-dot lines in Figs. 1 and 8.

A lower feed roll 23 is fast to shaft 7 which is journaled in bearingblocks 25 and 26 secured by bolts 27 to housings 10 and 28 which will bereferred to as left and right hand housings, respectively. drum 32 arekeyed to shaft 7 and positioned by washer 29 and threaded nut 30.

An upper feed roll 42 is fast to a shaft 41 which is journaled inadjustable bearing blocks and 36. The latter are provided withvertically disposed key-ways 33 and 34 and are guided on keys 37 and 38fast to left and right hand housings 10 and 28 and to removable housingelements 39 and 40, respectively. A gear 45, in mesh with gear 31, iskeyed to the right hand end of upper feed roll shaft 41. Upper and lowerfeed rolls 42 and 23 are shown to be of different diameters. As thesefeed rolls are intermittently rotated in unison by oneway clutch 15 forintermittently feeding the work material therebetween, the pitchdiameters of gears 45 and t 31 are shown to be the same as theirrespective feed roll diameters.

Automatic brake-operating mechanism As the feeding and operating speedsincrease, it becomes increasingly ditficult to control the overriding orovertravel of the intermittently rotated feed rolls with the usuallyemployed constantly applied brakes. Attempts have been made in the pastto overcome this inherent disadvantage of roll feeds, but thecomplicated and expensive expedients previously proposed do notsatisfactorily solve the problem for high speed operation. In contrastthereto, my novel brake-operating mechanism employs few elements and isinherently unaffected in its exact action by inertia effects due todifferent operating speeds.

A brake-band 43 with a suitable lining 44 is wrapped around brake-drum32. One end of brake-band 43 is suitably fastened in a slot of pin 46,threaded or otherwise attached to the right hand housing 28. Rod 48extends between bifurcated arm 51 of a link or bell-crank 52 which ispivoted at 53 and carries a cam-roller 54 on its other arm. Suitableresilient means such as a spring 50 is placed in compression betweenwasher 56 at the forked end 51 and spring-seat 55, backed by adjustablethreaded nut 47 at the end of rod 48 for preloading spring 50 to exertany desired nominal braking pressure.

A common control unit is employed for automatically actuating thedifferent mechanisms of the roll feed including the brake mechanism intimed relation and comprises a control 58 which extends between housings1t) and 28 and is journaled therein and which supports several actuatingand actuated elements to be described in connection with the severalmechanisms operated thereby. For automatically operating the brake, acam 61 is A gear 31 and brake V provided having a radially projectingactuated member or driving tail 62 and being rotatably mounted in bushing 63 at the right end of control-shaft 58, Fig. 8, and located bymeans of washer 57 and threaded nut 59. An actuating member orrocker-arm 66 is keyed to shaft 58 adjacent to cam 61 and includesoverhanging, spaced apart actuators or driving lugs 67 and 68 whichcarry adjustable set-screws 69 and 70, respectively, as best shown inFigs. 8 and 9. Said driving lugs are in the same vertical plane as tail62 of cam 61 and are thus operatively aligned with said tail 62. Thecam-roller 54 is held in contact with the cam surface by spring actingon bell-crank 52.

When control-shaft 58 is oscillated or rocked, said actuators, whichcomprise set-screws 69 and 70 protruding from respective lugs or drivingdogs 67 and 68, will intermittently and alternately contact tail 62 andthus impart partial rotations in opposite directions, i. e. anintermittent rocking motion, to cam 61. As a consequence, cam roller 54will travel from the high portion 65 of earn 61 to its low portion64,and vice versa. Tail 62 of the brake-operating mechanism is consequentlyresponsive to the lugs or driving means of the control unit whereby cam61 is oscillated to displace bell-crank 52 intermittently which resultsin an intermittent additional compression and subsequent release ofspring 50 so that the braking pressure exerted by the latter increasesand decreases successively in alternation.

Fig. 1 depicts cam-roller 54 on the high part 65 of the cam. Forked end51 of bell-crank 52 is displaced as a consequence into its extreme righthand position resulting in maximum compression of spring 50 and hence inmaximum braking pressure. When cam roller 54 has descended unto thelower part 64 of the cam, lever arm 51 will come to rest against bracket49. In this position, brake spring 50 is released and only under theinitial, nominal compression which is adjustable in the usual manner bymeans of nut 47.

The respective high and low parts 65 and 64 of the cam are shown to becircular arcs with shaft 58 as center. The difference in theirrespective radii governs the magnitude of the predeterminable additionalcompression of spring 50, and, consequently, the increased brakingpressure created by the compressing action of bell-crank 52 on springThere will be no further displacement of the bell-crank 52 and no changein the braking pressure once camroller 54 has reached either the high orthe low part of. the cam, regardless of any overtravel of theoscillating cam in either direction. The precise action of thecam-operated brake is therefore not influenced by possible inertiaeffects at different operating speeds.

The cam surfaces 64 and may be curvilinear surfaces of otherconfigurations for varying the braking pressure in any other desiredmanner.

Automatic roll-lifting mechanism In order to obtain optimum accuracy, anautomatic roll-lifting mechanism is employed for separating the feedrolls during each operating cycle to permit commonly used pilot-pins inthe dies to accurately locate the stock prior to each working operation.This function is attained in my design in addition to preventing anundesirable metal-to-metal contact between the feed rolls when the endof a strip of work material has passed therethrough.

A transverse bridge 71 connects bearing blocks 35- and 36 of the upperfeed roll. This bridge may be secured to the bearing blocks by bolts 72and may possess two lugs 73 between which an eye-bolt 76 is mounted onpin 74. Eye-bolt 76 extends through an enlarged opening in lifter-arm79, Fig. 1, and is adapted to be adjusted in height by means of threadednut 77 which bears against the upper surface of arm 79. Hub 78 oflifter-arm 79 is oscillatably supported by control-shaft 58 of thecontrol unit and laterally located between collar 60 and actuatingrocker 83, keyed to shaft 58 as at 83 and carrying an overhanging,integral driving lug 84 with set-screw 85 for actuating lifter-arm 79 bycontacting its protruding tail or actuated member 87 in a similar manneras previously described in connection with the automatic brake-operatingmechanism. Rocker-arm 83 serves at the same time for oscillatingcontrol-shaft 58 in synchronism with the operation of the machine. Forthis purpose, rocker-arm 83 may be pin-connected as at 89, Fig. l, withan intermediate link 86 which in turn is pivotally connected to the endof a rod 81 as indicated at 82. Connecting rod 81 may be reciprocated inany desirable manner; for example, from the driveshaft, or reciprocatingslide, or the pitman of a press.

The upper feed roll bearing blocks 35 and 36 are slotted as at 90 and91, Fig. 8, for receiving constant liftlevers 92 and 93, respectively,which also pass through openings 94 in the detachable housing elements39 and 48. Lift-levers 92 and 93 may be of the bell-crank type and arepivoted in elements 39 and 40 on pin 95, Fig. 1. Other pins 96 and 97extend through elongated slots in the horizontal arms of levers 92 and93 into bearing blocks 35 and 36, respectively. Resilient members suchas compression springs 98 and 99 are placed between the vertical arms oflevers 92 and 93 and spring-seats 100 and 101. The load on springs 98and 99 may be adjusted by threaded nuts 102 and 105 on studs 103 and104, respectively. The latter pass through openings 106 and 107 inlevers 92 and 93 and are fast to the housings of the roll feed. Thesespring-loaded constant lift-levers 92 and 93 will urge the upper feedroll 42 into frictional contact with the work material. Set-screws 108in the vertical arms of levers 92 and 93 adjustably limit the downwardmovement of the upper feed roll 42. Any de-' sired constant opening maybe adjusted and maintained between rolls 42 and 23 at all times, thuspreserving the finish of their gripping surfaces, because continuouscollisions of the feed rolls when automatically lifted during each cycleare avoided when no work material passes between said rolls. Obviouslythe selected constant opening should always be less than the stockthickness. If conditions should require a metal-to-metal contact of thefeeding rolls when no stock is passing therethrough, it is a simplematter to adjust set-screws 108 accordingly.

Assuming that control-shaft 58, Fig. 1, is oscillating in clockwisedirection, the lifter-arm 79 will be rotated in the same direction assoon as set-screw 85 of dog 84 contacts lifter-tail 87. This will resultin a separating movement of the feed rolls, because eye-bolt 76 will belifted and will lift in turn the upper feed roll 42 against the pressureof springs 98 and 99. As soon as set-screw 85 releases tail 87 (whenrocker 83 and control-shaft 58 oscillate together in counterclockwisedirection), the upper feed roll 42 will be lowered and will frictionallygrip the stock again preparatory to the next feeding cycle under theurge of said springs 98 and 99.

Hand-lift and strip-starting mechanism To avoid fractional blanks,waste, and possible harm to the sensitive dies, a new strip of workmaterial should always be advanced full feeding lengths. When a newstrip is to be threaded into the roll feed while the press is inoperation, the feed rolls are opened and to avoid fractional feeds, thefeed rolls must be closed again while the latter are at rest. This isobviously practically impossible with any certainty at high operatingspeeds without mechanical help as disclosed, for instance, in mystrip-starting mechanism, which is also automatically operated by thecontrol unit.

It should be noted that the end of lifter-lever 79 of the automaticroll-lift mechanism rests on a cam 109 which may be secured to, or be anintegral part of, auxiliary hand-lift shaft 110, rotatably journaled inhousings and 28 and capable of being manually actuated by means ofhandle 111. To open the feed rolls, handle 111 is moved in clockwisedirection, thus lifting the end of lift-lever 79 by the action of cam109. By turning handle 111 suificiently, the upper feed roll 42 willremain in open position until handle 111 is restored voluntarily intoits normal or inoperative position as shown, for instance, in Fig. 1. Anautomatic blocking device for preventing the closing of the upper feedroll during its rotational periods consists in a catch 112 keyed orotherwise secured to shaft 110. This catch therefore participates in anyrotation of shaft 110. A latch 113 with actuating tall 114 is freelymounted on control-shaft 58 in operative alignment with catch 112, andit is urged towards catch 112 by spring 118. A driving rocker-arm oractuating member 115 with overhanging dog 116 and set-screw 117 is keyedadjacent to latch 113 on control-shaft 58 of the control unit and willlift 1atch-arm 113 during a predetermined portion of the rest period ofthe feed rolls. Figs. 1 and 10 show this lifted condition. When notacted upon by driving element 115, however, the end of latch-arm 113will rest on top of catch 112 biased by spring 118. When the upper feedroll 42 has been fully opened, shoulder 119 of catch 112 will be to theright of shoulder 120 of latch 113 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 10.A new strip may now be inserted between the open feed rolls. To closethe feed rolls, handle 111 must be manually and voluntarily turnedcounterclockwise. Shaft 110, however, will be stopped from furthercounterclockwise rotation in case shoulder 119 encounters hook 120 oflatch 113. Then the complete closing of the feed rolls must wait for theaction of driving lug 116 on tail 114 to lift latch 113 off catch 112 asshown in Fig. 10. Only then is the lift-shaft 110 free to return intoits inoperative position and upper feed roll 42 will simultaneouslyreturn into feeding relationship with the lower roll 23 under the biasof springs 98 and 99.

This independently controllable roll-opening mechanism includestherefore a blocking device (latch 113 and catch 112) responsive to thecommon control unit for intermittently rendering said blocking deviceinefiective. Set-screw 117 represents a simple means for varying thebeginning as well as the duration of the lifting period of latch 113.But it will be realized that the feed rolls may be opened at any time bymeans of this independently controllable mechanism. They can be closedonly between feed advances, i. e. during that period of the operatingcycle when the feed rolls are at rest.

Geared automatic roll feed A similar roll feed as previously describedis shown in Figs. 12, 13, and 14, however, with the difference that thefriction drive is not actuated directly but by means of intermediategearing in order to subject the friction drive to feeding impulses oflarger angular magnitude than possible by direct drive, thus obtaininglonger feeding lengths. The common control unit of this geared roll feedincorporates, in addition to the functions previously described, theprecision flying adjustment as well as the intermediate gearing. To makeit more convenient to follow the interrelated motions, this completecontrol unit with its several mechanisms is shown somewhatdiagrammatically in the. perspective view of Fig. 15.

To simplify the description, identical parts have received the samenumerals as before; parts which are somewhat different in design, butserve similar functions as before, have received the same numerals withthe subscript a.

Precision flying adjustment mechanism The driving rocker-arm 4a, whichis actuated from a crank-disc or the like, has the shape of a bell-crankand is oscillatably supported in bushing 121 on eccentric sleeve 6awhich in turn is journaled in bushing 122 of control-shaft 58 adjacentto left hand housing 10. Flange 9 of sleeve 6a is again provided with aplurality of indexing holes 8 through any one of which index-pin 11 maybe inserted into bore 12 of housing 10 for maintaining sleeve 6a in anydesired position. Instead of a handle, a plurality of radial holes 123are provided on the periphery of flange 9 for angularly displacingeccentric sleeve 611 by means of a suitable Wrench or rod. A stationarypin 19a is secured to one arm of a bellcrank 4a by means of threaded nut22a as shown and the enlarged portion 125 of said pin or connectorelement 19a is oscillatably carried in a square or rectangularly shapedpillow-block 126 which is slidably guided in a radially extending,matching aperture 21a of gear-segment 127. The latter is rotatable oncontrol-shaft 58 in bush-- lIl3g0128 and located in position by Washer129 and screw 1 The extended hub 131 of friction drive 15a is mounted inbushing 132 on lower feed roll shaft 7 and carries a gear 133 securedthereto by any suitable means such (ii; a key 134. Gear 133 is in meshwith gear-segment The effective length of the driving rocker-arm 4a maybe decreased or increased similarly as before by angularly turningeccentric bushing 6:1, as a result of which the pillow-block 126 will bedisplaced in aperture 21a. The perfect mesh between gear-segment 127 andgear 133 will be in no way disturbed by any such displacement of theeccentric bushing 6a; hence, the feeding accuracy will not bedetrimentally affected.

The driving connection between rocker arm 4a. and gear-segment 127 ispositive and the cooperating pin and pillow-block elements 19a, 126slidable in aperture 21a create a yielding transmitting connection whichallows a relative movement between rocker-arm 4a. and gear-segment 127when the effective length of driving arm 4a needs to be changed for thefine adjustment of the feeding stroke.

The oscillation of the control-shaft 58, which. may be actuated asbefore from any suitable source by means of rocker 83, is not affectedin any way by the just described gear-segment drive of the one-wayclutch 154;, because the several elements of said rocker and gearsegmentare merely pivoted on shaft 58. The important advantage derived byincorporating this gear-drive in the control unit is, however, theelimination of a separate shaft for supporting the intermediate.gearing, and Ehefurther advantage of a most compact and inexpensiveesign.

Application to a. punch press Fig. 16 shows one intake unit 135 and onedischarge unit 136 of the type described in Fig. 1, for instance,applied to a straight-sided punch press. This tandem arrangement iscalled a double roll feed in the trade.

The press may be of any appropriate known construction and may comprisea reciprocating member or slide 137 for carrying the upper part of thedie 138 with pilot-pin 139, a bed 1 for supporting the cooperating lowerpart 140 of the die, a main crank-shaft or drive shaft 141 forreciprocating slide 137 by means of a pitman 142 and slcrzw-connection143, and a driving pulley or flywheel A crank-disc 145 is angularlyadjustable by means of bolts 146 relative to backing-disc 147 fast tocrankshaft 141. Crank-disc 145 supports an adjustable crank-pin 148connected to rod 149 by means ofwrist-bearing 150. A turnbuckle 151 inconnecting rod 149 permits length adjustment for the appropriateactuation of rocker-arm 4 by means of pivoted intermediate links as at3. Thus the feed rolls 23 and 42 are adapted to stepwise advance thework material between them in timed relation to the operation of thepress.

Driving rocker-arm 83 of control-shaft 58 is shown pivotally connectedby intermediate link 86 as at 82 to connecting-rod 81 with turnbuckleadjustment 154. A pivot-connection 155 is also provided between saidconnecting-rod 81 and strap 156 of an eccentric 157 on crank-shaft 141,'Figs. 16, 17, 18. Said eccentric is adapted to be angularly adjustedwith respect to crankshaft 141 by means of its flange 158 which hasconcentric slots 159 and may be secured in any desired angular positionto the fixed backing-disc 147 by means of studs 160 and threaded nuts161 as shown. Connect ing-rod 136 is thus reciprocally operable by saideccentric to rock or oscillate rocker-arm 83 and hence control-shaft 58.

The two feed units are similar with the exception that the dischargeunit 136 has usually no driving rocker-arm 4 and a flying adjustment isordinarily not necessary. Instead, the housings 17 of both frictiondrives 15 are provided with auxiliary arms 24, interconnected byactuating rod 162 so that the friction drive of the discharge unit 136will be operated in synchronism with the intake unit 135. Thecontrol-shaft 58 of each feeding unit 135 and 136 has keyed to it arocker-arm 163 interconnected by rod 164 so that the control-shafts ofboth units will also be oscillated in unison. This rockerarm 163 is onlyrequired when a double roll feed" is employed and is therefore shown indotted lines in Fig. 15

Fig. 16 shows the two feeding units 135 and 136 adjustable in height byscrews 165 supported in brackets 166 and guides 167 on press-frame 168for the convenient change of the feeding height of the work material.This type of height adjustment is well known in the art.

Operation The friction drive or roll feed drive 15 is usually actuatedfor advancing the stock between the 270 and 90 degree positions of thecrank-shaft (see reference circle Fi 19). 14 is 90 degrees behind, orlate relative to, the crankshaft 141. Consequently, the forward feedcommonly takes place during the last half of the tip-stroke and the Inother words, crank-pin 148 of crank-disc first half of the down-strokeof crank-shaft 141 and slide 137. Crank-shaft 141 is normally rotated atapproximate constant speed. Therefore, the velocity of the feed rollsincreases during the first half of the feeding cycle during which periodthe feed rolls accelerate from zero to maximum, and their velocitydecreases again to zero during the second half or decelerating period ofthe feeding cycle. If not expressly stated otherwise, this normalfeeding timing will be assumed to exist in the description to follow.

Fig. 16 shows the slide 137 and crank-shaft 141 in top dead centerpositions, namely in positions corresponding to the 0 degree position inthe crank-reference circle shown in Fig. 19, Figs. 3 through 7 exemplifythe approximate positions of the several mechanisms for thiscrank-shaft. position. Eccentric 157 for the oscillation ofcontrol-shaft 58 is shown in phase with crank-shaft 141, Figs. 16, 17,1,8.

Rocker-arm 83 of. the control-shaft 58 has just arrived at its highestposition, Fig. 7. Driving lug 84 for the automatic roll-lifter-arm 79 isfarthest away from its tail 87, Fig. 5. Driving lug 116, Fig. 4, is alsofarthest away from tail 1140f latch-arm 113; consequently, spring 118keeps latch 113 in contact with catch 112; assuming that the operatorpreviously opened the feed rolls with handle 111 and desires to closethe feed rolls at this particular instant, shoulder 119 of catch 112will be stopped by hook vof latch 113; the feed rolls can therefore notbe restored into feeding relation during this .period of the operatingcycle. Driving lug 68 has just moved brake-cam 61 into its extremecounterclockwise position, Fig. 3, and cam-roller 54 has been liftedunto the high portion 65 of cam 61; thus forked end 51 of bell-crank 52will have compressed spring 50 its maximum amount and brake-lining 44will therefore also exert maximum braking action on brake-drum 32. Therocker-arm 4 for actuating the friction drive 15 will have finishedapproximately one-half of its upward feeding stroke, Fig. 6; the feedrolls will be operating near maximum feeding velocity.

Figs. 1, 2, 8, 9, 10 and 11 show the press and roll feed at a differentperiod of the operating cycle, namely, during the second half of thedownward stroke of slide 137, past the 90 but before the degree positionof the crank-shaft 14-1. Perspective view Fig. 15 also exemplifi'esthispoint in the operating cycle for the geared roll feed.

Driving rocker-arm 83 for actuating shaft 58 of the control unit, Fig.l, is in the lower half of its downward strokel Driving lug 84 is shownin Fig. 11 to contact .tail 8.7 of lifter-arm 79., just beginningto liftthe upper feed roll for allowing the pilotapin (139) in the dies tolocate the stock. Lug 116 in Fig. 10 has already lifted latch 113 offcatch, 1112; the feed rolls, if previously manually opened, .couldtherefore be closed at this point of the cycle without interference bycatch 112. The feed .rollsareat rest, .as rocker-arm 4 of friction drive15 is now oscillating in counterclockwise direction and performs itsidling return stroke, Fig. 1. In Fig. 9 the driving lug or dog 67 isrotating cam 61 in clockwise direction and cam-roller 54 will presentlyleave the high part 65 .of the cam, whereupon the additional load onbrake-spring 50 will be released.

The phase relationship between crank-shaft 141 and control-shaftSS maybe changed by angularly displacing eccentric 157 as previously describedin connection with Figs. 16, 17, 18, butin addition, the individualmotions of the several mechanisms may be further synchronized withrespect -to eachother by adjustment of set-screws 69, 70, 8.5, .117 intheir respective lugs 67, 68, 84, 116. Because the oscillating drive ofcontrol-shaft 58 is derived direetly from thecrank-shaft 141, a heightadjustment of slide 137 when setting dies 138 has no effect on theproper operation andsynchronization of the intake and discharge units135.and 136. The set-up time for the press and roll :feed is thereforevery appreciably shortened.

The .adiustability .of the phase relationship between crank-shaft andcontrol-unit on account of the independent eccentric drive of thecontrol-shaft is specially convenient'for timing the automatic brake.Instead of applying the maximum brakingeifect before the feed-rolls havereachedtheir maximum velocities as described before, it might be.desirable to change this timing so that the maximum braking effectoccurssome time during the deceleration period of the feed rolls. This or anyother desired timing of the control unit may be easily effected byangularly displacing ec'entric 157 relative to the crank-shaft.

The coarse adjustment of the feeding length is accomplished in the wellknown manner by changing the eccentric throw of crank-pin 148. While agraduated scale is commonly provided on crank-disc 145, the exactdesired feeding stroke is usually only obtainable by the cut-and-trymethod, i. e. by repeatedly starting and stopping the press forreadjustment of crank-pin 148. The flying adjustment as previouslydescribed in detail permits fine adjustment of the feeding stroke orfeeding length by turning eccentric 6 with the aid of handle 13 fordecreasing or increasing the effective length of rockerarm 4, while theapparatus is in operation. The operator does not have to handle anymoving element for accomplishing the desired fine adjustment, and whenapplied to a geared drive as shown in Figs. 12, 13, 14, the perfect meshof the gear train remains undisturbed.

The roll feed unit shown in Figs. 12, 13, 14 may be employed singly orin tandem in a similar manner as described in connection with Fig. 16,however, with the difference that the rocking motion for actuating theone-way clutch drive of the discharge unit would be derived byinterconnecting the gear-segments 127 of intake and discharge unitssimilarly as shown in Fig. 16 for the friction drives 15. This andsimilar methods for driving geared double roll feeds are old and need nofurther explanation.

The type of ratchet drive for actuating the feed rolls is usuallyselected according to the particular requirements. While I have shownfor illustrative purposes the well known one-way or overrunning clutchdevice (15), any other suitable mechanism may be employed instead, suchas ratchet and pawl, a rack and pinion drive, etc.

It will be understood that the invention is not restricted to anyparticular construction, arrangement or form of the parts, and iscapable of numerous modifications and changes; furthermore, the severalfeatures do not need to be employed conjointly, but may be used singlyor in any combination dictated by existing requirements and conditions.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new andfor which it is desired to secure Letters Patent is:

1. In an automatic stock feed having a pair of intermittently rotatablerolls for stepwise advancing the stock into a press, a control unitcomprising a control-shaft and means for oscillating said control-shaftin synchronism with the press; an automatic roll-lifting mechanism forraising the first one of said pair of rolls away from the second onebetween stock advances for momentarily freeing the stock, a firstdriving member on said controlshaft and oscillating therewith forautomatically actuating said roll-lifting mechanism, pivotally mountedlevers operatively connected to said first feed roll, resilient membersacting on said levers to bias said first feed roll into stock-grippingrelation upon release by said roll-lifting means in combination withadjustable means to limit the resiliently biased swing of said pivotedlevers for maintaining a predetermined opening between said feed rollswhen no stock is passing therethrough; auxiliary means for voluntarilylifting said first roll at any time during the operating cyclecomprising a rotatable cam for effecting the lifting of said first rolland for retaining the same automatically in lifted position while thepress is in operation until said cam is voluntarily returned intorelease position, a catch rotatable with said cam, a latch mounted onsaid control-shaft positioned to engage said catch to lock the rolls inopen position during feed advances when previously so opened, and asecond driving member on said control-shaft for then automaticallydisengaging said latch from said catch during the rest periods of saidrolls for permitting voluntary rotation of said cam in roll-closingdirection during said rest periods only.

2. In an intermittent roll feed for stepwise advancing the work-materialinto a machine having a drive-shaft, an automatic roll-lifting mechanismincluding a lifter arm for separating the rolls periodically to allowpilotpin means to locate the work-material; a strip-starting mechanismhaving an independently controllable rollopening means comprising arotatable cam having a liftmg slope for independently actuating saidlifter arm,

said lifting slope being followed by a cam surface for automaticallyretaining said lifter arm and consequently said rolls in open positionwhile the press is in operation, a blocking device to prevent closing ofthe feed rolls during feed advances when previously opened by means ofsaid independently controllable means, said blocking device consistingin a catch and a coactive latch for intermittently rendering saidblocking device ineffective; brake means associated with a feed roll andincluding resilient means for subjecting said brake means to a nominalpredetermined braking pressure, a brakeoperating mechanism including anelement acting on said resilient means for increasing said nominalbraking pressure to a maximum and for then decreasing said brakingpressure to said nominal value successively in alternation; a controlunit comprising an oscillatable control-shaft having means for operatingall three mechanisms and parts thereof in timed relation, a rocker- 'rmsecured to said control-shaft, a rod connected to said rocker-arm, andeccentric means on the drive-shaft of said machine for reciprocallyoperating said rod, said eccentric means being adjustably secured tosaid driveshaft for changing the timing of oscillation of saidcontrol-shaft with respect to the operation of the machine.

3. A control unit for an automatic work-piece feeding means of a machinecomprising a control-shaft, means for oscillating said control-shaft insynchronism with the operation of the machine, a second shaft located inspaced apart relation to said control-shaft and being manually operable,means associated with said control-shaft to automatically lift saidfeeding means during each operating cycle for releasing the work-piecemomentarily, other means associated with said second shaft forvoluntarily opening said feeding means and for keeping them open whensaid second shaft is turned from inoperative position to operativeposition, a locking device for blocking the return of said second shaftfrom operating position during the feeding cycle of said feeding meanscomprising a catch secured to said second shaft, a latch rotatablymounted on said control-shaft, said latch being located in operativealignment with said catch and being automatically actuated by saidcontrol-shaft for engaging said catch during the feeding cycle and forfreeing the same during the rest periods of said feeding means to avoidfractional feeds when a new work-piece is started in the feeding meanswhile in operation.

4. In a control unit for an automatic roll feed having a pair ofcooperating feed rolls for stepwise advancing a work-piece therebetween,manually controllable rollopening means for opening said feed rolls atany time during the operating cycle to insert a new work-piececomprising a control-shaft, means for oscillating said control-shaft intimed relation with said feed rolls, a lifter arm pivotally mounted onsaid control-shaft, a connecting member between said lifter arm and oneof said feed rolls for opening said feed rolls when said lifter arm isactuated, a rotatable cam having a cam slope in engagement with saidlifter arm to independently actuate said lifter arm and open the feedrolls when said cam is rotated, said slope being followed by asubstantially concentric portion on said cam to automatically maintainthe rolls in open position while the feed rolls continue to performtheir feeding motions, until said cam is voluntarily returned into itsoriginal position, in combination with a starting mechanism comprisingblocking means adapted to prevent the closing of previously opened feedrolls during feed advances, said blocking means including a catchrotatable with said cam and a coacting latch element pivotally mountedon said control-shaft, said latch element being responsive to saidoscillating shaft to free said catch automatically between stockadvances, whereby fractional feeds are avoided when starting a newwork-piece.

5. In an automatic roll feed having a pair of feed rolls forintermittently advancing the stock therebetween, manually controllableroll-opening means for opening said feed rolls at any time during theoperating cycle to insert a new strip of stock comprising a rotatablecam having a lifting slope followed by a substantially concentricportion to first open said rolls by the action of said lifting slope andto then maintain the rolls automatically open on said concentric portionwhile the roll feed is in operation when said cam is rotated inrollopening direction, until said cam is voluntarily returned into itsoriginal position, including a strip-starting mechanism comprising meansfor blocking theclosing. of previously opened feed rolls between stockadvances; a friction brake to prevent overtravel of said roll feed,resilient meansv for exerting a predetermined braking force on saidfriction brake, a brake-operating mechanism including. a member inengagement with said resili'ent means to elfect intermittent auxiliarycompression ofsaid resilient" means when actuated; in combination'with acommon control unit comprising an oscillatableshaft and driving meanssecured thereto to automatically causeintermittent actuation, of bothsaid mechanisms in predetermined timed relation.

6. In a stock feeding device having a pair of cooperating feed rollsactuated by ratchet means for stepwise advancing the stock, an automaticroll-lifting mechanism for raising one of said feed rolls momentarilybetween stock" advances. to release the stock; brake means for saidrfeedrolls to prevent overtravel, a brake-operating mechanism including meansfor intermittently varyingthe braking" effect of said brake means; astrip-starting device; including means for manually opening the feedrolls to insert a new strip of stock and a mechanism for'hlocking'theclosing of previously opened feed rolls during the advancing. stroke ofthe ratchet to avoid fractional feeds; a.control'unit comprising ano'scillatable shaft and driving means secured thereto for the automaticintermittent actuation of: all said mechanisms and parts thereofin'predetermined' timed relation, said control unit including also aflying adjustment having an eccentric supported on saidv control-shaft,a rocker-arm oscillatably mounted on said eccentric, means fordisplacing said eccentric with respect to said rocker-arm to changetheeffective length of the latter, and means op'eratively connecting saidrocker-arm and said: ratchet means including. a radially slidableconnector element.

7 7,, lnl an. automatic roll feed having arpair of coacting' feed rollsfor stepwise advancing the stock into a machine, a. control unitcomprising a control-shaft, a plurality of drivingv lugs secured tovsaid control-shaft. means for oscillating said control-shaft with. saiddriving lugs in azcircular' arc through a predetermined angle instepwith thecperatiorr of themachine; an' automatic roll-lifting, deviceincluding a lifter lever pivotally mounted on saidcontrol shaftfor'lifting' one of said feed rolls..saidlifting lever being responsiveto one of said driving lugs for separating the feed rolls between stockadvances; independently controllable rollaopening means including arotatable shaft, a cam secured to said shaft and in contact with saidlifting lever to effect an independent lifting movement of the latter,said cam having a concentric portion to automaticallyretain the rolls inopen position when saidshaft is rotated from neutral position intoroll-opening positionwhile machine and roll feed may continue inoperation, a latch pivotally mounted on said control-shaft and.responsive to another one of said driving lugs for intermittentlylifting said latch, a catch secured to said camshafh, said catchhavingra shoulder positioned for intermiftent engagemcnt'by saidoscillating latch when the camshaft is in roll-opening position tointermittently lock said camshaft against return to neutral position andto thusprevent voluntary closing of the rolls during feed advances; afriction brake to prevent overtravel of the feed rolls', resilient meansfor exertinga normal braking force'- on said friction brake, a memberacting intermittent-1y on said resilient means in response to. stillothers of said' drivinglugs for. intermittently increasing said normalbraking force.

8-. In an automatic roll' feed for intermittentlyadvancing a work-pieceinto a machine, a pair of cooperating feed rolls,v one of said rollsbeing, liftably mounted with respect to. the. other roll, an. automaticroll-lifting mechanism comprisinga. shaft, means for impartingoscillatory motion to said shaft in step with the operation of themachine,,alifter arm pivot-ally mounted on said-shaft and operativelyconnected with said liftableroll, a driving element secured to. saidshaft and oscillatingtherewith, said driving element being positioned tointermittently oscillate said lifter arm to impart al'ifting motion tosaid lif't'able r011", pivotally mounted levers operatively connected tosaid liftahle roll, resilient means acting on said levers to' bias saidroll into frictional engagement with the work-piece, andadjust-ablemeans to limit the movement of said" levers in roll engagement directionfor oscillating i said rolls being liftabl'ev with- E2 for maintaining apredetermined opening between said feed rolls-when no work-piece ispassing therethrough:

9. In a control unit for an automatic roll feed for a machine, a pair ofcooperating feed rolls, anautomatic roll-lifting mechanism comprising acontrol-shaft, means for automatically oscillating said control-shaftthrough a predetermined angle in timed relation to the operation of themachine, a lifter arm having aprojection and-being pivoted on; saidcontrol-shaft, a connecting member between said lifter arm-and one ofthe feed rolls for separating. the feed rolls when said lifter'arm isactuated, a driving, element fast to' said control-shaft and oscillatingtherewith, said drivingelement' having a contact surface positioned toact on said" projection during predetermined periods of itsi oscillatingswing to periodically separate'the feed rolls during each operatingcycle, means for adjusting said contact surface of said driving elementwith respect to said projection, to change the timing'of said lifter armrelative to the oscillating movement of said controlshaft; independentlycontrollable roll openingmeans for opening the rolls at any time. duringthe operating cycle comprising a rotatable cam in engagement withsaidlifter arm, said cam having a lifting slope. followed by a.substantially concentric portion to first" swing said lifter arm and itsprojection beyond reach of said oscillating driving element and open therolls by the action of said lifting slope: and't'o then maintaintherolls automatically in open position on said concentric-portion whilethe machine is in operation and'said control-shaft is oscillating, untilsaid cam is, voluntarily returned into its original'position.

10; A brake cont'rolforan automatic feed of amachine comprising afriction" brake, resilient means for exerting a predetermined brakingforce on said friction brake, a

, shaft continuously oscilla'table in synchronism with the machine, acam: freely supported on said shaft, a pivotally mounted'bell-cra'nk,one arm of said bell-crank contacting said cam and. serving as a camfollower, the other arm of said bell-crank. acting on saidresilientmeans for compressingsaid resilient means to increase the braking forcewhen said bell-crank is actuated by said cam, a projection. on saidcam,. an actuator fast. to. said shaft and oscillatahle therewith, saidactuator having. two spaced apartdriving lugs one oneach side of and inoperative alignment with said cam projection and a predetermineddistance away therefrom to effect an intermittent oscillation: of saidcam for actuating. said bellfcrank when said shaft iscontinuouslyoscillated.

11% Inadoubl'eroll feed, two pairs of spaced apart and cooperating feed:rollsv for stepwise advancing a Work,- piece' intoa. machne; aseparatework-piece starting. mechanismfor eachtof said-pairs of feedrollscomprisingmanually rotatable cammeansfor voluntarily opening saidfeedrolls at any point of the operating. cycle and for automaticallyretaining the. same in openposition until voluntarily closed again, anautomatic. blocking device for preventing the closing of the manuallyopenedfeed rolls durin'g feed advances to-preventfractionalfeeds-whenstarting a new work-piece in either or both of saidpairs of feed rolls, said automatic, blocking device including acontrol-shaft, a latchrpivotedon said control-shaft, a drivingalignment? with saidlatch; in combination with means the control-shaftofoneof said automatic blocking devices in timed relation to said' feedadvance, and a: rocker-arm driving. connection from. said last mentionedcontrol-shaft to -the; other control-shaft to effect synchronism: of theblocking. devices of both pairs ofsaid feeds comprising: two spacedapart feedingv units, each unit including a pair of cooperating feedrolls, one of respect-to the other roll, a continuously oscillata'blecontrol-shaft, a lifter armon said control-shaft for lifting saidliftable roll, actuating means secured to said control shaft forautomatically actuating saidzlifter ar-m fonseparatingzthe r'ollsin:step with theoscillation of said" controhshaft, a: manuallyrotatableshaft, a cam secured to said shaft: and engaging said lifterarmrforvoluntarilly lifting said liftable roll, saidcam having a camportion for first lifting said roll and another camf portionopenl-whentsaid; shaftiis manually turned: from neutral posimember:secured to-said control-shaft for actuating saidlat'ch;, a: catchrotatable with said cam and in operativef'or then holding the'liftedroll automatically tion to roll-opening position until voluntarilyreturned into neutral position, a latch on said control-shaft, actuatingmeans secured to said contol-shaft for oscillating said latch in timedrelation to said control-shaft, a catch secured to said manuallyoperable shaft and rotatable therewith, said catch being positioned tobe ineffective when said shaft is in neutral position and to be inlocking alignment with said latch when said shaft is turned intorollopening position to effect an alternate locking and releasing ofsaid catch by said latch to prevent voluntary return of said shaft intoneutral position during feed advances, driving means actuated by saidpress for oscillating the controlshafts of both said feed units in timedrelation to the operation of said press.

13. An automatic roll feed having a pair of feed rolls forintermittently feeding a work-piece into a press comprising an automaticroll lifting mechanism for separating the feed rolls periodicallybetween feed advances, an independently operable roll opening mechanismincluding means to retain the opened rolls automatically in openposition while the press is in operation and auxiliary blocking means topermit closing of the previously opened feed rolls only during restperiods of the feed; a brake mechanism including a friction brake,resilient means for exerting a normal predetermined braking force onsaid friction brake, control means for said resilient means forintermittently increasing said predetermined braking force to a maximumto prevent overtravel of the feed rolls and to then return said brakingforce to said normal value; in combination with a common control unitfor the timed operation of all said mechanisms and parts thereofcomprising a control-shaft, separate driving members for actuating eachof said mechanisms, said driving members being secured to saidcontrol-shaft, means for oscillating said control-shaft in step with theoperation of the press, means for changing the phase relationshipbetween the operation of said press and the oscillation of saidcontrol-shaft to similarly and simultaneously change the synchronism ofall said mechanisms actuated by said driving members, and auxiliarymeans for changing the timing of said driving members individually withrespect to one another and with respect to said control-shaft.

14. In an automatic feeding device having a pair of cooperating feedingmeans for stepwise advancing a workpiece into a machine having arotatable drive shaft, a lifting mechanism for automatically lifting oneof said feed means between feed advances; a work-piece starting devicecomprising manually actuated means for opening said feed means and anautomatic blocking mechanism for preventing the closing of the manuallyopened feed means during feed advances; friction brake means for saidfeeding means, a mechanical brake-operating mechanism for automaticallycontrolling said brake means to prevent overtravel; a singlecontrol-shaft for all of said mechanisms, means in operative engage-With said drive shaft for oscillating said control-shaft in synchronismtherewith, a plurality of members fixed to said control-shaft adjacentsaid mechanisms for actuating and individually synchronizing the samewith respect to said rotatable drive shaft.

15. In an automatic roll feed having a pair of cooperating feed rollsfor stepwise advancing the workmaterial into a machine having arotatable drive shaft, a roll-lifting mechanism for intermittentlyseparating said feed rolls to release the work-material momentarilybetween feed advances; friction brake means for'said feed rolls. amechanical brake-operating mechanism for controlling said brake means toprevent overtravel, a control-shaft, means in operative engagement withsaid drive shaft for oscillating said control-shaft in synchronismtherewith, a plurality of driving members fixed to said control-shaftadjacent said mechainsms for actuating the same. and adjustable means onsaid driving members for individually synchronizing each mechanism withre-' spect to said rotating drive shaft.

16. A flying adjustment device for controlling the degree of oscillationof a friction ratchet mounted on a shaft to intermittently rotate thesame, comprising an eccentric sleeve mounted on the shaft, anoscillatable rocker-arm carried on said sleeve. the friction ratchethaving an aperture extending radially with respect to said shaft, aconnector fast to said rocker-arm and slidingly interlocked with saidaperture, means for angularly displacing said eccentric sleeve forvarying the radial I 14 positionof said connector in said aperture tochange the effective length of said rocker-arm.

17. A flying adjustment device for controlling the degree of oscillationof a gear adapted to be oscillated, comprising a shaft for supportingsaid gear, an eccentric bushing on said shaft, an oscillatable drivingelement carried on said eccentric bushing, said gear having an apertureextending radially of said shaft, a connector fixed to said drivingelement and in operative engagement with said aperture, means forturning said eccentric bushing on said shaft to displace said connectorelement radially in said aperture while the gear is being oscillated,and means for maintaining said eccentric bushing in its turned position.

18. A flying adjustment for controlling the degree of oscillation of adriven member comprising an eccentric sleeve, a shaft for supportingsaid eccentric sleeve, bearing means on said shaft for supporting thesame, an oscillatable driving lever freely mounted on said eccentricsleeve, said driven member having a radially extending aperture, aconnector element fixed to said oscillatable lever and operativelyengaging the aperture of said driven member, means for turning saideccentric sleeve on said shaft to move said connector element to and froin said aperture while the driven member is oscillating, and means forlocking said eccentric sleeve in its new position.

19. A device for regulating the degree of oscillation around a shaft ofa driven member comprising a driving element adapted to be oscillated,an eccentric sleeve on the shaft for supporting said driving element,the driven member having an aperture extending radially of said shaft, apillow-block fastened to said driving element and drivingly engaging theaperture of said driven member, means for angularly turning saideccentric sleeve on said shaft, whereby said driving element isdisplaced and its associated pillow-block moved to and fro in saidaperture resulting in a change in the effective length of said drivingelement, and means for maintaining said eccentric sleeve in its turnedposition.

20. A flying adjustment device for controlling the degree of oscillationof a friction ratchet comprising a shaft, an eccentric bushing on saidshaft, an oscillatable drive member supported by said eccentric bushing,a pillow-block fixed to said drive member, radially extending means onsaid friction ratchet adapted to slidinglv receive said pillow-block,means for angularly actuating said eccentric bushing to displace saiddrive member and hence to vary the radial position of said pillowblockin controlling the effective oscillatory drive of said friction ratchet.

21. A flying adjustment for controlling the degree of oscillation of aone-way clutch mechanism mounted on a shaft to be intermittentlyrotated, comprising an eccentric bushing on said shaft, an element suported by said eccentric bushing and adapted to be oscillated, a memberfast to said one-way clutch mechanism having an aperture extendingradially of said shaft, a pillow-block fast to said element and alignedto enga e the aperture of said member, means for angularly displacinsaid eccentric bushing on said shaft, whereby the radial position ofsaid pillow-block along said aperture is varied to control the degree ofoscillation of said one-way clutch mechanism.

22. A device for the automatic control of a brake for intermittent Workfeeding means comprising a brake for controlling the feeding means toprevent overtravel, spring means for exerting a predetermined nominalbraking pressure on said brake, control means for said spring means forintermittently increasing said predetermined nominal braking pressure toa maximum and to then return said braking pressure automatically to saidnominal value comprising a control-shaft, means for oscillating saidcontrol-shaft in synchronism with the operation of the feeding means, acam having a cam slope and being rotatably mounted on saidcontrol-shaft, twin driving members fixed to said control-shaft forintermittently oscillating said cam, a bell-crank having one arm inengagement with said cam and being displaceable by said cam slope andhaving its other arm positioned to additionally compress said springmeans when displaced, said bell-crank being automatically returned intoits original position by said spring means when freed by said cam slope,adjusting means on each of said twin driving members for changing thephase relationship 15 between the oscillation :of said cam to change theautomatic braking cycle 'with respect to the operating cycle of .thefeeding :means.

23. An intermittent oscillating movement in a control unit for anautomatic feed of a machine having a drive shaft comprising acontrol-shaft, means for operatively connecting saiddrive shaft and saidcontrol-shaft for continuously oscillating said control-shaft :through apredetermined angle, an actuated member to be intermittently oscillated,said actuated member .having a projection and being journaled on saidcontrol-shaft, an actuator secured to said control-shaft andcontinuously oscillating therewith, :said actuator having two spacedapart driving lugs one on-each side of and in operative alignment withsaid projection and a predetermined distance away therefrom to effectvan intermittent oscillation of said actuated member as said drivinglugs impinge alternately upon opposite sides of said projection,adjustable means on said driving lugs for changing the timing betweenthe rotation of said drive shaft and the intermittent oscillation'ofsaid actuated member.

' 24. In a press with a roll feed having .a plurality of individuallycontrolled mechanisms, at common control unit for the timed operation ofall said mechanisms and parts thereof comprising a control-shaft,separate driving members for actuatingeach-of said mechanisms, saiddriving members being secured to said control-shaft, means foroscillating said control-shaft in step with theoperation of the press,means for changing the phase relationship between the operation of saidpress and the oscillation of said control-shaft to similarly andsimultaneously change the synchronism of all said mechanisms actuated bysaid driving members, and auxiliary means for changing the tinting ofsaid driving members individually with respect to one another and withrespect to said control-shaft.

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